CHIRPING
Deep underground,
Amazon turtle hatchlings are waiting for rain.
THUNDER ROLLS
They need just the right amount to soften the sand
to dig themselves free.
Their mothers are waiting nearby in the river.
Too little rain, and they will be trapped.
Too much, and they will drown.
Life cannot exist without water.
But too much or too little can be disastrous.
And it can change in an instant.
If they are to succeed in spite of fresh water's constant changes,
parents everywhere must adapt.
In the Amazon's dry season,
huge sandbanks appear.
In three months' time,
the annual rains will return and submerge the banks once more.
Now is the giant Amazon river turtle's opportunity to lay eggs.
But she must get the timing right.
Other turtle mothers are gathering,
waiting to lay their eggs.
This is the biggest gathering of freshwater turtles on the planet.
The exposed banks remind the females
that now is the right time to nest.
When one finds a place that suits her...
..she lays nearly 100 eggs a metre beneath the surface.
She has made her best guess as to the right time to nest this year.
Now she needs the rain to match her predictions.
Six weeks pass.
The sun has baked the sand above the eggs into a protective crust.
But the rain clouds arrive...early.
In two of the past five years,
early rain drowned most of the hatchlings.
THUNDER CRASHES
This is not good.
As the rain falls, the river starts to rise.
The babies have hatched,
but they can't yet dig themselves free.
First, they must wait
while they absorb part of their yolk sac.
The river continues to rise,
and before the eggs have all hatched,
some nests start to flood.
The sand is getting more and more waterlogged.
They can't wait any longer.
Three days after hatching...
..the baby turtles see sunlight for the first time.
But their mother's job is not done yet.
Waiting offshore, they call.
TURTLES CALL
It seems as if the mother's song guides the hatchlings to safety
amongst the adults.
This year, many mothers got their timing right...
..and over two million hatchlings emerge.
As the hatchlings join their mothers in the water,
they add their voices to the chorus.
CHIRPING
When freshwater flows are reliable,
parents are able to give their young an excellent start in life.
But even when water levels are stable,
there may still be dangers for young animals.
CHIRPING CALL
In a steaming swamp in South Carolina,
hungry mouths gather...
..around the perfect home
for a family of swamp canaries.
These parents have chosen an excellent site -
a slim tree surrounded by water.
Nests like these are difficult to reach from land,
water or air for anything but a small bird.
Useful to protect baby chicks.
Up to seven of them in a nest.
As well as feeding their young,
the parents keep their nests clean
by removing the chicks' droppings...
..in poo bags.
CHICK CALLS
Caring for as many chicks as this is a two-bird job.
CHICK CALLS
A small nest may be safe,
but chicks can quickly grow too big for it.
Leaving their tower
will require them to take their first flight.
But the moat around their castle is now a major obstacle.
Predators lurk, waiting for an easy meal.
It is at least ten metres from the nearest tree.
Ready or not,
time to leave the nest.
The first hatched are the strongest
and they lead the way.
Later-hatched chicks are smaller and weaker.
The water is no place for a chick,
but there's nothing his parents can do.
Although he's made it to the tree, he's still in danger,
but now his parents can help...
..using rewards.
Bit by bit, they coax him higher.
Just a few more steps.
There now. He's out of immediate danger.
His parents coax the rest of the chicks to safe hiding places
all over the swamp.
They will continue to feed their chicks for five more weeks.
Large expanses of fresh water can be dangerous.
Small pools like this one away from
the main Amazon River are safer for young animals.
The centre is open and clear,
and the edges provide plenty of hiding places.
Excellent for a family of cichlids,
provided that the parents can work together.
A carefully chosen rock in the centre of the pool
camouflages the eggs.
They are starting to hatch.
Wriggling tails, however, could attract attention.
But the mother gently picks them up
and puts them out of sight under a leaf.
Father does his best to help...
..but he's getting in her way.
While mother is collecting more eggs...
..she turns around to find that her partner is at it again.
Caught in the act.
She clearly wants to finish the job herself.
Working alone,
mother gets every last wriggler tucked away safely.
But she will need Father's help
when their wrigglers become swimmers.
Now both parents must guide their offspring to the edge of the pool,
where there's more cover.
First step -
navigate through a shoal of curimbata.
It's a job that requires two adults.
So now it's Father's chance to help.
They've made it.
All fry accounted for.
But they've hit yet another roadblock.
Cichlids are very territorial,
and this family has drifted
into someone else's patch.
Their neighbour has turned dark,
showing that he really wants them gone.
Worse, he might also be hungry
and regard the fry as a welcome snack.
By coordinating their attack...
..they win the fight.
Finally united, they can continue to their new home.
It's exactly what they need.
The fry can practise swimming in the spring's bubbles,
and there are plenty of hiding places.
Together, the cichlids have made
the most of all this pool has to offer their young family.
In a jungle, there are freshwater pools everywhere...
..in the leaves, fronds
and holes in trees.
But pools can have problems.
Big ones are likely to attract predators...
..and small ones are likely to dry out.
Parents must find the pools that are just right.
Meet tinctorius, a poison dart frog carrying his tadpole.
He needs a pool for it.
And quickly.
This palm leaf may be convenient...
..but it's shallow and exposed...
..and could dry out before a tadpole could develop.
So although he leaves one here,
he continues his search
for accommodation for his remaining three.
They are waiting in a leaf
which will dry out if left here much longer.
No time to waste.
One climbs immediately onto its father's back.
To spread his bets, he needs a different pool.
A hop,
skip and a jump...
..and he's found somewhere deeper, but without much food.
He can still do better.
Night falls and he still needs to find two more pools.
CROAKING
A call echoes through the jungle.
A milk frog with his tadpoles.
His loud calls are invitations to milk frog females
to lay their eggs in his pool.
Scientists believe that when
a male tinctorius hears the calls of milk frog fathers...
..he may decide that the milk frog's pool would suit one of HIS tadpoles.
The next morning, he sets out again
with another tadpole on his back.
There's only one problem.
The milk frog's pool is 20 metres up.
Getting there with a tadpole on his back will be a long climb.
Undeterred, he starts off again.
It's a huge effort for the sake of just one tadpole.
Made it.
And he's not bothered by the milk frog.
Not only will his offspring be safe here,
it will also have plenty to eat,
because milk frog tadpoles
are good food for tinctorius tadpoles.
But he can't rest just yet.
He still has one last tadpole which needs a pool.
This dad will go to extreme heights
to find the best pools for his tadpoles.
Parents can afford the pursuit of perfection
where fresh water is plentiful.
However, where fresh water is rare,
parents have fewer options.
The Namibian desert.
Here there is very little water for miles around...
..except in the breast feathers of this Namaqua sandgrouse.
They are specially adapted to absorb up to 25ml of water...
..and that enables his family
to nest in remote corners of the desert.
But the chicks must drink at least once every day to survive.
So Father must fetch some for them.
Almost 20 miles from their nest,
a thin strip of green indicates standing water.
The male sandgrouse flies
to this water hole every day.
Here, he joins a flock of other thirsty sandgrouse.
But they all know better than to head straight to the water.
First, they settle at a safe distance.
Hidden among the rocks,
the flock's many eyes scan for lurking threats...
..because when fresh water is rare...
..it can be used by some as a trap.
A lanner falcon,
a booted eagle
and an African hawk eagle
have all taken up positions around the water hole.
Despite the threats,
some sandgrouse decide to take their chance.
Parents are vulnerable at the water.
They need at least five minutes in
a pond to saturate their feathers.
The more cautious birds wait to see
what happens to the first group.
The lanner picks a target.
She misses.
The booted eagle sees her chance.
Together, they keep the flock in the air.
A spectacle visible from all around.
Especially to a male,
judging when it's safe to collect water for his chicks.
Birds of prey seldom stop...
..until they make a catch.
Even now, going alone could be fatal.
He must stick with the group.
There's no-one left in the air.
If the predators are concentrating on eating,
now could be the sandgrouses' opportunity.
But they have overlooked someone.
The hawk eagle.
To soak their feathers,
parents must wade deeper into the pool.
In their desperation for water...
..no-one notices the eagle's approach.
The father must hold his nerve.
He has not yet collected enough water.
Missed.
This father wings his way home,
breast feathers fully loaded with water.
He will have to repeat this journey every day
for the next eight weeks...
..until his chicks are ready to visit the water hole for themselves.
For now, they can enjoy a good long drink.
The water's presence here has enabled these parents to succeed.
However, when fresh water isn't reliable,
the journey to parenthood itself can be laborious.
In the Caribbean,
five miles upstream lies a near-perfect nursery pool.
Food here is plentiful,
and the water tumbling from the falls above
keeps it clear and oxygenated.
After five months at sea,
a tri-tri goby has climbed 300 metres
to reach this pool and start a family.
His partner is ready to lay her eggs.
Pebbles arranged in the right way will alter
the flow of the current, creating good conditions for eggs.
His activities attract attention.
Rival males are eager to take over his nest.
He will have to fight if he's to become a father.
Good riddance.
But one thing he can't fight is the weather.
THUNDER RUMBLES
A once-in-a-lifetime storm is brewing.
THUNDER CRASHES
Below the fall,
the increase in water has turned the gentle flow into a whirlpool.
The torrent has flushed him miles back downstream.
But he still has a chance to become a father
IF he can manage to climb once again to his nursery pool.
He hasn't done anything like this since he was a young fish...
..and it shows.
He's a lot bulkier than when he was younger.
Climbing 300 metres again won't be easy in his current condition.
Juveniles with boundless energy dart past him.
Other adults try...
..and fail.
He pushes on...
..but the closer he gets to his pool, the stronger the current.
With one final push...
..he makes it.
But the pool is unrecognisable.
The storm has scattered all his carefully selected pebbles...
..so he starts work to create another nursery.
If he is to become a parent, however,
he will need stability.
When fresh water is not stable,
parents must quickly adapt to ensure a future for their young.
Thailand.
These still waters should offer a secure foundation
for the family of a lily-trotter.
Long toes spread his weight across the lily pads as he searches
for insects amongst the greenery.
But he also has a special and urgent job.
He's building a floating nest.
A messy pile of pond weeds will have to do.
He must hurry back to his egg.
He misguidedly built his first nest
in the busiest part of the lake.
Boats come so close that his egg risks being crushed.
He has decided to move to a quieter neighbourhood.
Building a new nest was easy.
Moving an egg without hands was significantly harder.
Other lily-trotters carry their eggs with their beaks.
This one has adopted a different method.
One that takes a lot longer.
At last.
Now he must settle his egg
into this perfect new home
in his perfect new neighbourhood.
But in trying to avoid one threat...
..he hasn't noticed another.
Caterpillars have invaded the lake...almost overnight.
They don't have any predators here.
His precious chick has hatched into devastation.
The insects that live amongst
the lilies are harder to find,
let alone catch.
And the caterpillars are completely inedible.
His chick needs food.
Once again, he will have to find somewhere better.
Lily-trotters aren't built for this.
But walking is their only option.
The chick can't yet fly.
These are the last remaining lilies in the lake.
It's not perfect,
but there are plenty of insects for his chick.
Here, it can thrive.
Lily-trotters are not the only parents who must settle
for less than perfect in our changing world.
In East Africa, as the climate heats,
rainfall is becoming less predictable.
DEEP RUMBLING
This elephant matriarch has kept her family alive
throughout two years of drought.
She's leading them to the last flowing water she knows of -
the Ewaso Nyiro River.
This is the only place for miles around which still has any water
or food for grazing animals.
Until rain and good grazing return elsewhere,
this is an oasis for the whole family.
ELEPHANTS TRUMPET
They haven't drunk for days.
This is a chance for a mother to demonstrate good trunk technique.
Her calf certainly needs the tutorial.
Step one - get water into your trunk.
Step two - get water from your trunk to your mouth.
Sometimes it's easier to take a more direct route.
These days spent in the cool, calm river are much-needed relief
for the whole elephant family.
But the elephants are not the only travellers seeking refuge.
The elephant matriarch decides
that it's not safe enough for trunk lessons to continue.
Wild elephants and human beings usually avoid one another.
Each is too dangerous to the other.
In this drought, however, they have no choice but to share
the river and the grass until rain returns.
Weeks pass.
Herders and elephants crisscross the river
in search of any grazing that remains.
So many mouths to feed takes a toll on the land,
stripping it bare.
At last, the elephant matriarch senses something
familiar on the horizon.
Rain is falling on the distant mountains that feed the river.
This should be a good sign,
but the hotter the air, the more moisture it stores.
THUNDER RUMBLES
So when, after a long, hot drought, rain finally comes...
..there is much more of it.
The distant deluge runs off the parched earth
and becomes a flash flood.
The herds have been caught out...
..split apart by the sudden flood.
The herders have no choice
but to cross and keep their livestock together.
The elephant family has also been caught out...
..trapped on the wrong side of the river.
To follow the rain to fresh grazing,
the matriarch must find a way to cross
while keeping the youngest safe.
She tests the current with her trunk,
assessing whether or not the youngest can manage the crossing.
The flow seems gentle enough on this side...
..but the current runs swifter near the opposite bank.
As the current gets faster,
the adults use their bodies to shield the calves.
As the family enters the swiftest part of the river...
..a calf loses its footing.
ELEPHANT ROARS
So far, the matriarch has kept her family together.
But now she has a decision to make.
Press on towards fresh grazing...
..or turn back to keep her calves safe.
She has decided.
The risks of crossing have become
greater than the pangs of hunger.
The matriarch has protected her youngest from THIS flood...
..but as the world gets hotter,
droughts and floods are becoming more intense...
..destabilising life for parents everywhere.
Already, we are adapting to changing freshwater patterns.
But we CAN choose to give the next generation a better future.
A world with more reliable fresh water.
What a gift.
As the climate heats, rainfall is becoming less reliable everywhere.
There is often too much or too little
and at the wrong time...
..a significant challenge for the Parenthood crews
while filming the series.
We've got all kinds of flooding going on here in Paradise Valley.
Unprecedented flooding,
like 100 years since we've had water levels this high.
There's been a drought here since December,
and we're now in April.
And it's unusual, different than any other year I have seen.
Sounds like the water levels are rising quicker than anyone expected.
Every day it's incrementally getting hotter and hotter.
We haven't had rain in the park for about a week,
and there's no sign of it on the horizon.
And we're actually in the middle of our rainy season.
Yeah, this is a lot of rain, even for Amazonian standards.
It's beyond anything I've seen at this time of the year.
It's a bit worrying, really.
The monsoon isn't actually meant to start for another month.
In northern Kenya, the rain was especially hard to predict.
The crew were hoping to film elephants
in the height of the wet season.
But when they arrived, the rains had not yet come.
East Africa was in the grip of a historic drought...
..and the consequences for both wildlife and people became clear.
Right, so we've just been filming
a group of elephants
that were approaching the river,
and they just ran into
a big herd of cattle,
and quite literally,
the cows were blocking the elephants
from even crossing the river.
So the elephants have all just turned back.
The reality now of filming is one of
watching thousands of cattle coming
through an area where elephants
should be. How do you deal with 10,000 cattle, as an elephant?
It's a whole level of parenting skills
that they're not equipped to deal with.
These herders, these pastoral people, although they're not allowed
to be in the park, they just have no choice.
They're all competing for that little resource.
It's a very difficult time.
Everybody is looking forward for green grass and good food
for the animals and water.
So everybody here is trying maybe to look for ways of surviving.
The lack of fresh water and grass has put both people
and elephants under immense pressure.
In the past, you know, there was a big threat,
which was elephants being killed for their ivory.
But today we see things shifting into
the competition of space
and resources being the biggest challenge.
It's a conflict that results into elephants being wounded
or elephants wounding people or even killing people.
And hence, you know, that also causing
a lot of tension between the two species.
So we've got a dead elephant here.
We don't know the cause of death yet.
He was fine literally an hour ago, and then he's just collapsed.
But very, very sad to see an elephant go like this,
especially a bull who's not even that old.
He was just coming into his prime.
It's very sad.
Elephants are astonishingly social.
A death in the community can have a big impact.
They just seem to be trying to scent
and see what happened yesterday.
They're trying to understand the situation.
The elephants returned day after day to visit the body
until it was time to move on.
Drought and conflict are now leaving many young elephants
without families.
Families who would normally provide them with protection
and important lessons.
So in their absence...
..the community is stepping in to parent orphaned elephants.
A lot of babies that have fallen into wells
because of searching for that precious resource,
you know, the water.
This baby here, she's called Milgis.
And she came here as
a result of falling into a well.
When it is dry season,
sometimes they don't come back for their babies.
So her mother didn't come back.
And that's why we got this little baby here.
When baby elephants are in the bush,
they learn so many things from their mothers, from the family.
So, as keepers, we are also teaching them some things.
They teach them which leaves are good to eat...
..make sure they get enough to drink...
..and help them to have a good old dust bath,
just as their mothers would have done.
They move into our family. What I like most is staying with babies
who are stressed because I know how to calm them down.
Baby elephants like singing. They like music.
Also, they like pop music so much.
KEEPERS SING
Reteti started 2016, August.
Since the beginning, we have released ten baby elephants
back to the wild.
The staff that we have here, it's 91 of them,
and all of them are from the local community around.
Elephants have changed the life
of my community through employment,
through education,
through women empowerment.
As they grow with your friendship, they never forget that.
Even when they are big, when they hear you, when they see you,
they give you some nice kisses, holding you like their own family.
I'm very privileged to say I love elephants
and I wish to support them.
Reteti Elephant Sanctuary has demonstrated
what great benefits can come from protecting wildlife.
While the climate changes and resources dwindle...
..every community can find ways to support the natural world.
Next time...
Jungles.
# Go steady Take your time
# You're ready
# I'll be fine
# And whatever you face
# There's a part you can't break
# Cos I'll love you
# That'll never change
# That'll never change... #